"Silk Road and Free Ross Campagin"
The first time I read anything about bitcoin was a few years ago when I was researching the deep web; an article came up about a site named Silk Road. An anonymous online market called Silk Road; an underground drug marketplace that was accessed through the deep web where people were able to purchase all sorts of drugs and pay for them with Bitcoin. My first encounter with bitcoin was overshadowed because of this underground market rather than the coin itself. At the time I did not realize the potential that this digital coin was going to have, I focused on the article that was exposing this illegal drug market created by Ross Ulbricht when he was 26 years old.
I never forgot Ross nor Silk Road maybe because of all the media attention it received at the time, and I found fascinating how hard it was for authorities to find Ulbricht; indeed, it was considering the power of Thor and cryptocurrency when it comes to privacy and Ulbricht used both. Ive also seen recent articles on the subject and in the Anarchapulco event I saw a Free Ross Campaign that chaught my attention.
The founder of Silk Road faces two life sentences in federal prison plus an additional 40 years, without the possibility of parole. Since 2015 when he was sentenced to prison, Ross Ulbricht and his family have searched for options to reverse this verdict. I was surprised when I found out he received two life sentences and an additional 40 years; considering there are people who on my judgment have done far worse things and have not even received half of what Ulbricht got.
Freeross.org “He had no prior record and no victim was named at trial.”
“Silk Road was supposed to be about giving people the freedom to make their own choices, to pursue their own happiness, however they individually saw fit. [It] turned out to be a naive and costly idea that I deeply regret.” – Ulbricht
Many points revolve the Silk Road investigation; all of those who participated on the site received a lower sentence than Ulbricht; from 10 years being the highest sentence among those who participated in the site and Ross who received the highest penalty for all non-violent charges and no pre-existing record. According to freeross.org, “The New York prosecution alleged that Ross planned murders-for-hire, but never charged him for it. All Ross’s charges at trial were non-violent. An indictment in Maryland included the allegations, yet it was never prosecuted and, almost five years later, was dismissed entirely.”
The site also reveals Ross ´s passion for privacy and free markets. According to Investopedia, “The term “free market” is sometimes used as a synonym for laissez-faire capitalism. When most people discuss the “free market,” they mean an economy with unobstructed competition and only private transactions between buyers and sellers. However, a more inclusive definition should include any voluntary economic activity so long as it is not controlled by coercive central authorities.”
The truth is whether you believe in free markets or not, and it is undeniable that the Silk Road case has many sides to it; not proven allegations and a sentence that seems excessive considering the charges.
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Twitter:@carolinaninap